Machine for making foam rubber mattresses and the like



Se t.-7, 1954 J MARCO 2,688,152

MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed June 14,1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ui I i I N V EN TOR. JOH/V MA RCO bay/M4 464 J.MARCO Sept. 7, 1954 MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THELIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1950 INVENTOR. JO/77V MA/FZSU BYSept. 7, 1954 J. MARCO 2,683,152

MACHINE FOR MAKING FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed June 14,1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 14 TOR/VFVS Patented Sept. 7, 1954 MACHINEFOILMAKING .FOAM RUBBER MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE John .Marco, Wilmington,Del.,iassigno1"sto .Marco Company, .-Inc., Wilmington, Del., a,corporation of Pennsylvania Application June '14, 1950, Serial No.167345 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of foam rubber commodities andmore particularly to the combining of foam rubber with curled hair tomake the resultant product suitable for use as fillers for cushions,mattresses, seats or other resilient articles employed for personnalcomfort.

The use of curled hair in conjunction With steel springs. in themanufacture and use of mattresses, has been involved over a considerableperiod, as an improved arrangement over the use of springs alone. Theaddition of the hair 'by incorporating it in the coil springs used insteel spring mattresses was found to give a number of characteristicsfound desirable in promoting comfort and is considered necessary in thebetter designs of spring mattresses. However, the advance of rubber intothe mattress field in recent times has introduced special problems andthe need for adherence to some of the structural features of theprevious structures for mattresses employing springs. Foam rubber formattresses and the like, alone, lacks the tensile strength and thefrictional toughness to withstand the stresses, and wear and teararising in its use as a mattress when the "basic material is made underconventional formulae. To *meetthis situation, it has been found thatthe introduction of curled hair into the foam rubber in a limitedextent, proportioned to suit the needs and in predetermined layers,locations and amounts, will meet requirements equivalent to thosearising in the use of steel spring mattresses. The hair may beintroduced into the basic foam rubber in isolated form in spaces andspacings provided in the matrix so it will be incorporated therewith andheld yet not intimately mixedin the material. To introduce the hair intothe mixture during the manufacture of the foam rubber would result intoo stiff and reinforced structure. The resiliency of the foam rubberwould be reduced and its natural stretch greatly interfered with. Alsothe use of the hair in the intimate mixture would tend to tear andcrumble the foam rubber and shorten its useful life. To avoid thesedimculties this invention intersperses the curled hair in open spacesleft in the molded foam rubber'or vice-versa, and integrally joins themto the basic material. To prevent the hair from flattening or mashing,it is lightly coated with a rubber cement that stiffens it moderately inits natural shape. This retains its form without interfering with itsphysical characteristics and the 'purposes for which it is intended. Itis of course understood he! that the term mattress or slab throughout,is made in abroad sense.

It is therefore an object of this invention to providea new and improvedmachine and process for manufacturing foam rubber mattress materialth-ait will avoid some of the objections and limitations of the previousart.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machineand process for manufacturing foam rubber slab that will emp'lo-y hairfiller suitable for use therein for improving its structure to meetits-conditions of use.

A further object of the invention hereinclescribed is to provide a newand improved "machine for manufacturing foam rubbers'lab with hairincorporated therein to make it suitable for mattress uses.

Still another object of the 'invention'is to provide *a new and improvedmachine for making foam-rubber-hair mattress slab that will beres'ista-nt to undue collapsing without materially affecting itsresilient characteristics.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmachine that will enable foam rubber mattresses to be aerated andreinforced through the use of hairykeptlightand varied in "firmness,softness and other desirable qualities to suit many and usefulrequirements in their particular uses, without materially addingto thecost of production.

A still further object of the invention is to provide anew and improvedmachine for the manufacturing of foam-rubber hair slab without mixingthe hair intimately with the foam rubber although integrally attachingit to it, and to provide for variable thickness of hair and foam rubberin an accurate and facile manner.

The invention also includes in its objects to provide for a process forthe manufacture of combining hair and foam rubber into a slab .ofpredetermined interminglingand segregative distribution of the hairtherein to .retain qualities of aeration, lightness, strength andcontrollable resiliency andtoughness.

Other objects will .become apparent as .the invention is more fullysetforth.

:For a clearer understanding of the invention, its objects principles.and'the operation thereof, referenceis made to the accompanyingdrawings. These drawings in conjunction with the following descriptionoutline :a 'particularform of the invention by .way of example, .not oflimitation, While ithe appended claims :emphasize .the scope of t'heinvention.

3 Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a foam-rubberand hair combining machine embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the machine;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a slab of hair ready for theplacement of foam-rubber therein;

Figure 4 indicates the slap after placement of the foam rubber;

Figure 5 is a sectional View of a piece of rubberized curled hair;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation through Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a plan view of a piece of foamrubber-hair slab, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view through 8-8 of Figure 7.

Similar reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout thedrawings.

In the construction shown in the drawings, a machine for combining foamrubber and curled hair is illustrated. It is built on a suitableframework [0, on which are mounted and supported by suitable brackets Il, the various functional mechanisms and parts that serve to make thecombined machine. The parts include a hopper [3 of suitable form,designed to hold an adequate quantity of curled hair 36 and delivers itthrough a measuring wheel [4 in its throat [5 to a conveyor belt 12. Thewheel M has radial spokes l6 suitably spaced to deliver the hair inpredetermined quantities continuously through the throat IS. The latterconforms to the wheel to prevent any undue amount of hair escapingwithout passing through the wheel properly. The delivery orifice I! atthe bottom of the throat is cut at a slant to cooperate with the angulartravel of the conveyor belt I2 and the spikes [8, that it carriestransversely across its exterior belt surface. The belt I2, is of thecontinuous type and is propelled by drums i9, respectively in thedirection of the arrow indicated adjacent it. The drums I9, 20 havetheir supporting shafts 2!, 22, rolling in journals 23, 24 supported ontheir respective brackets II. The drums are positioned to run the beltI2 downwardly from the drum 20 to the drum l9,

and carry the hair 30 in its spaces 25 between the spikes l8, at aslant, to the forked or slotted apron 26 on the table 21. The apron 26has slots 29 arranged in it to register with the spikes I8 and allowthem to pass without obstruction as they rotate therein, although theirpropelling action on the hair is not interfered with.

The apron 26 through the use of its fingers 3| cleans off the hair andplaces it on the top surfaces of the rails 32. This causes the hair tomove in long lines along the rails leaving spaces in between, similar tothe spaces 33 between the rails longitudinally. I

The hair is sprayed with liquid latex 34 from a spraying pipe 35extending transversely across the apron and its table. The pipe hasholes suitably spaced in it for the purpose and latex and air underpressure are supplied from a conventional source (not shown) to it. Thislatex provides a thin coating over the fibers of the hair as itprogresses along the rails. An instant later the latex covered hair isdried by the use of heated air passing to it from the ducts 36. Theducts 36 are disposed transversely across the rails 32, both above andbelow them. Spraying pipe 35 and ducts 36 are held in place over themachine by suitable brackets, attached to the framework I0, and thesupply of heated air is brought from a suitable extraneous source to theducts 36 under proper control, not shown.

The next step in the process is provided by a rotary brush 39 having onehalf dipped in a trough 40 filled with lubricant to prevent the latexedhair from sticking to the table as it is pushed over the latter. Theapplication of the lubricant is applied to the underneath surfaces, forthe purpose. The brush and the trough are suspended from the tableunderneath, by suitable brackets. The following step in the processconsists in impressing the plungers 42 through the latexed hair andforming holes 43 therein. The holes in the hair are made permanent bythe spraying of more latex on it. The plungers 42 are operating by amechanical stamping machine 4I supported on the frame [0 and employingthe rotating cams 44 to operate the plungers intermittently, andreturning them as the cams permit it. The hair 30 is now in condition tocombine with the foam rubber, as it is carried along by a conveyor belt41 placed adjacent the table.

The foam rubber from the source 46 is applied by spraying pipes 48, 31above and between the rows of hair 30 as the latter is carried along,thus to surround the hair and embed its end portions tight in the foamrubber, as well as provide a top lining of the material over thecombined product.

The conveyor belt 41 is of the endless belt type, running on drums 28,29 and actuated by a pulley 50, belt 5| from the first drum 20, which inturn is actuated by a motor 52 and transmission 53. The shafts of thedrums 28, 29 are run in journals also supported from the framework I0.The belt 41 has its upper section running parallel to the table andalmost on the same level, so as to receive the combined hair and foamrubber as a slab and carry it to a curing over 38 where the combinationis vulcanized or put into its stable condition, ready for its final use.

The conveyor belt 41 is of material that is heat resisting for use inthe curing over 38. Also, the over is provided with openings 58 throughwhich the belt can travel unimpeded and unharmed. The latexed hair is ofthe form shown in Figure 3, as it arrives at the end of the table closeto its passage on to the endless belt 41. Close to this location thefoamed latex is applied and fills the holes in the latexed hair mass,and the spaces about it are filled to make the complete slab with acovering lining on top, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows, in a general way, the apparatus for feeding latex foam,the source being indicated at 46. This apparatus, more or less ofconventional type, has the necessary elements to mix, deliver anddeposit the latex and the details thereof being generally understood bythose familiar with the art will not be further outlined, except tostate that the foam latex is delivered through the perforated piping 48.The use of plural foam latex applying equipment is disclosed in order toestablish a more even distribution of the hair mass, facilitate itssettlement uniformly and provide for a top covering layer to finish onthe slab, leaving it ready for more effective curing application as itreaches the oven.

The slab resulting from the use of the machine and its manner ofoperation produces a.

laminated product throughout its length, wherein the cemented layer ofhair is integrally joined to a layer of foam rubber in an uniformlystratifiied arrangement. The processed hair and foam rubber project intothe space adjacent each other transversely to form a columnatedformation having such strength and resiliency as the manufacture maypredetermine as required for the particular duties that it is intendedfor. The columnated arrangement can be appreciated and observed in Figs.3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, and distinguished from the general conglomeratedconstruction previously used in the art.

While some of the details of the mechanisms have not been specificallydetailed, it is believed that sufiicient structure has been included tomake the operation thereof plain and understandable. The machine isconnected with its functional parts into a homogeneous unit adapted tooperate cooperatively together, with or L without the sources ofsupplies used assembled with it. Complete individual control is retainedfor each item so that variation in the application of the products eachuses, can be given to meet a considerable field of requirements.

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to performthe functions set forth, it is apparent that various changes in form,proportion and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to,without departing from nor sacrificing any of the principles of theinvention.

I claim:

A machine for making a laminated fabric of fibrous material and foamrubber comprising in combination a frame, an elongated table carried bysaid frame, a container for fibrous material spaced from one end of saidtable, a conveyor disposed beneath said container, means for dischargingmaterial from said container onto said conveyor, said conveyor beingoperatively associated with said table to deliver fibrous material inthe form of a continuous mat onto the upper surface of said table, spraymeans disposed over said table for distributing liquid latex over thesurface of said mat as the same moves beneath said spray means, meansspaced from said spray means longitudinally of said table for drying thelatex, means for applying lubricant to the lower surface of said mat toprevent adherence of the same to said table, a stamping device disposedover said table and including a plurality of punches mounted forvertical movement toward and away from said table, means for moving saidpunches downwardly and into engagement with the upper surface of saidmat to form a plurality of upwardly opening recesses therein, a secondconveyor for receiving said mat from said table, means disposed abovesaid second conveyor for distributing foam rubber over the upper surfaceof said mat to fill said recesses and rovide a layer of foam rubber onthe upper surface of said mat integral with the foam rubber in saidrecesses and a curing oven associated with said second conveyor forcuring said foam rubber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,221,890 Millar Apr. 10, 1917 1,469,420 Liebing et a1 Oct. 2,1923 2,140,063 Talalay Dec. 13, 1938 2,171,805 Picard Sept. 5, 19392,206,056 Sheesley July 2, 1940 2,288,095 Lindsay June 30, 19422,290,614 Rathbun July 21, 1942 2,493,194 I-Ieino Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 446,300 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1936

